Page 188 of Blood Day

“Thank you, Magistrate,” the Goddess replied. “We appreciate your hard work and due diligence.”

The lycan male grunted in response. “Then we can begin with the formal sorting of the remaining one thousand.”

He made another noise, this one reminding me of a growl.

The hostility of it caused the hairs to dance along my arms, something I suspected was the point, as his next words were for us—the prospects.

“Sit up straight. Eyes up. You may now observe today’s proceedings,” he informed us. “Consider it a gift for all your hard work.”

I swallowed.This doesn’t sound like agiftso much as athreat.

But I lifted my gaze regardless, needing to see my fate and to search for Cedric.

The stage before us was massive, with the royals and alphas all seated toward the sides in regal-looking platforms lined with comfortable thrones and velvety colors.

I couldn’t see them well in the dark, but it was clear that I would be able to see them when I walked up onto the massive platform ahead.

There were stairs on both sides, which the Magistrate pointed out now, telling us to enter on the right to meet him at the podium near the center. Once our designations were announced, he wanted us to exit via the other stairs.

“Where a Vigil will be waiting to escort you to your appropriate section,” he concluded, his words sending a chill down my spine. “Now let’s begin. Prospect One, Year One Hundred Seventeen.”

A female with light blonde hair stood from the front row and made her way toward the stairs.

She didn’t look at the royals or the alphas, insteadcasting her gaze downward in reverence as she moved past them.

The Goddess Lilith sat off to the side, her own throne appearing even more regal than the others. She watched the female prospect with interest, her lips curled into a soft smile.

But I knew better than to believe it.

That female was the epitome of evil.

I’d overheard enough about her through Cedric’s thoughts to understand that she wasn’t a Goddess at all, just an oldish vampire with a penchant for power. She fancied herself a supreme being, but only the humans worshipped her.

Vampires like Cedric merely tolerated her existence.

Although, he’d mentioned that some of his brethren did respect her.

Vampires like Silvano.

Because they enjoyed this new society she’d created.

The one that forced this lone prospect to march across the stage right now.

I glanced at the royals and alphas in attendance, but the shadows continued to conceal their faces. I couldn’t even tell if they were watching her or busy with other activities. They were like this ominous dark cloud of power, hidden from our sight yet clearly present.

Prospect One stopped near the podium, her head bowing even more as she knelt. He hadn’t mentioned that requirement, but it was instinctual on our part to kneel.

Bow. Kneel. Supplicate. Survive.

The Magistrate’s focus remained on the long scroll of paper before him, his expression giving nothing away as he said, “Breeding farm.”

Prospect One seemed to freeze, which caused him to glance at her. “Continue along the stage to the stairs.Now.” The subtle rumble underlining his tone echoed via the microphone, causing my heart to skip a beat.

The blonde woman immediately stepped forward, her motions more brittle than before.

He ignored her entirely, his focus having returned to his scroll as he called for the next prospect.

That was it. A simple ceremony where our numbers were announced, followed by our designation, and then we wandered down the stairs to meet our fate.